Karla's Cottage

My Mosaic Group Friends and a New Adventure for Seashell Fairies

My buddy, Shanna, has hosted a mosaic group in her home studio for years.  Its always nice to bring a project and visit with friends.

Not too long ago, she switched it up and rented a studio with our pal, Mary.  The group continues in this new location and we have the same members plus a few others joining in.

As artists, we are often working alone. So, an opportunity to hang out with friends while creating, catch up on each others lives, chat about books, restaurants, travel, hear some funny stores, or commiserate over problems, well, that is something I feel lucky to have.  

Seeing what’s up with others’ work is inspiring too.

Even though I’m not a mosaic artist, I love the medium.  Every once in a while I take on a glass project, but typically, I bring some other, small portable job I’m in the middle of.

This summer it’s been a lot of mushrooms, or beading.  I really wish I could attend the group more weeks, but I am pretty sporadic about attending.  It’s on a Friday, and that seems to be a hard one for me.  Not just First Fridays each month at Juju, but other weekends for travel, or who knows what.  Fridays just are a busy day for me.

So, when I get a shot at being there, I make my best effort to pack up a tub of supplies (typically only forgetting a few things I’ll need for the afternoon) and skeedaddling across town to see what everyone is working on and hear about what’s up with who.

Technically, I guess this is a mosaic craft.  I decided to make some sea shell fairies that aren’t washed away by the waves, so I took a basket of shells to work on last week.  (Oops, after taking the photo, I realized the right wing wasn’t right, so I flipped it around while thinset was still goopy).

These little sprites are something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  On one of my sister trips with Bobbie and Sissy, when I was feeling really bad due to a concussion, along with the anniversary of Ryan’s death, we explored Passe Grille Beach after a walk through the Don Caesar Pink Palace.

 The beach we were staying at was low on shells.  When I visit Indian Rocks, I always scrounge to find enough to make just one little fairy to leave on the sand.

But this spot? Holy Moly! 

Now, the shells I found aren’t what most beach goers are looking for.  I like odd shapes and broken pieces, and this place was ankle deep in those.  I filled bags with heads, wings, arms, I was in a fairy makers dream location.  The terrain was rocky and the beach itself wasn’t as inviting, the parking was awful, but it wasn't crowded and the views were spectacular.  My sisters patiently hung out while I climbed around boulders and searched for just the right bits and pieces.

So here I am, a few years later with these baggies full of memories of a special day when my family went out of the way to big sister me, using one of our limited vacation afternoons to take me someplace to gather art supplies.  Sis had brought her post cataract surgery sunglasses to help with my concussion headache and Bobbie, who had some mobility issues, hung out with me while we walked this rocky shoreline that wasn’t easy to get around on.

I’m still experimenting with the right technique to transform my fairies into a permanent piece of art. And thanks to my sissies, I have plenty of shells to work with.  Each one I create will hold special feelings from our day on the beach. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Indigo

My friend, Diane, offered to teach a group of us how to do indigo dyeing.

It’s a complicated process that is far removed from regular tie dye.

The vat requires ongoing care, that reminds me of feeding sourdough bread starter.

Diane brought all sorts of doodads and clips and taught us about different techniques.  We used more than rubber bands, there were clips, zip ties, pvc pipes as resists.

One cool trick is using wax thread to pull gathers into the fabric to make designs.

After the resists are added, you dunk the fabric in the vat.  It comes out a murky green but air starts to turn the dye blue.

The pieces need to hang for about 15 minutes, then get double rinsed   The water finishes the color transformation and the murky green is gone, leaving the traditional indigo tones.

For deeper colors, you repeat the process. I kept redoing the bottom of this shirt for an ombré effect.

And I love the way it turned out!

Thanks for the fun morning, Diane!

A gilded afternoon

Days off seem to be far between for me, but this one made up for a lot of missed ones.

I spent an afternoon being spoiled.

First, a luxurious lunch with friends.

Then cake with champagne in gilded surroundings that were filled with remarkable collections of vintage beauty.

So much magnificence to see that I could’ve used up an entire iCloud storage allotment on my phone with photos.

Every inch was filled with something even more elegant than the space next to it.

And then, there was more.

And more.

Each displayed with artistic genius. 

And with the thoughtful eye of an experienced collector.

All set out with a true love of special things.

Thank you, Marilyn, for your generosity and hospitality. Thank you, Melissa for the lovely luncheon, and to the whole group for a delightful day of laughter and fun.

An indoor garden party

Two dear friends, Angie and Beth, had birthdays in June so I threw a party for them.

It was a landmark number for Angie, so a large celebration was in order. 


The party itself was on Beth’s actual birthdate.

The birthday girls made the guest list, and also helped with some treats and wine.  I told them I was throwing the party FOR them, but they wanted to help, which was very nice.

Both brought wines too.  And Beth put her husband, Jeff, on ice duty.  Don’t you hate to buy bags of ice? Paying for ice is a weird pet peeve of mine.  I just hate buying the stuff.

Beth said she had a good ice maker (mine is so tiny) so Jeff dumped it into gallon bags everyday til she was able to fill a cooler with so much ice she could barely carry it.

A couple weeks ago, I’d gotten lucky at an estate sale and scooped up dozens of teacups for twenty bucks.  The plan was to use pretty cups and saucers for the herbal fruit and lavender ice tea, plus for the wines.  

And I got to welcome back the Treat Cabinet!  This large wardrobe spent many years in my studio, filled with goodies during get togethers.  When we redid the room, it was moved to the breezeway for a boring job of storing patio cushions. 

But for this one day of glory, the cabinet was back in its element, filled with tea party essentials.  

I hung this old, embroidered, tea towel on the inside door of the wardrobe. It had been free in a box of junk a friend was discarding. Perfect!

 This birthday celebration as meant to be a tea party in the garden.

I’d had lovely weather all week while tending to my flowers and getting ready for guests.

Then, bam, the night before, a heatwave came with a vengeance.  

I’d always planned on keeping the food inside the house anyway, but I was disappointed that we couldn’t have the garden as a place to hang out.

(Angie made this trifle.  Why are they called that when they are not mere trifles, these types of dessert are magnificently lovely).

 If I’d known in advance that the heat index was going to be in the danger zone, I’d have brought chairs and tables indoors. But friends made do, and used what they found.  I carried in a few extra seats from the yard, but many had made themselves comfy on kiddie chairs already.  They didn’t seem to mind.

We had a full house, but in a good way.  

So many delightful people!  And flowers!  Many sweet friends brought bouquets, so it was like an indoor garden party with all of the pretty blooms.


Including blooming cookies from Catherine.

We filled the studio too. I had a mini craft project set up for everyone, so guests were spending time out in the workroom to do those.  Once again, I could’ve brought in more chairs, but we seemed to make do with what was there. With my bad shoulder, I’d have needed help before the party to bring in extra seating.  Rich had helped me set up the patio, but he was out of town when temps started going way up into unbearable numbers.

The project was making fairy garden stakes. It was self explanatory, and simple to do, so the ladies were on their own making them.  I wish I’d taken photos of their pretties when they’d finished.  There were lots of sparkly wishing wands completed.

Another timely garage sale find was this metal picnic basket.  I used it for the cheese and cracker display.  I think that now that the party is over, I’ll be filling it with teacups and taking them to Good Juju to sell in July’s First Friday weekend.

Although, this get together was such a good time, maybe I should keep them all and use them again for another party? 

 

 

 

Things that made me smile

Last summer while out garage sailing, I came across a box of garlands for five bucks.   There were more, and I shoulda bought them all.  It was late in the morning, after hours of shopping and my purse was lighter than I’d started out, while my car was much fuller.  I was being practical, because the flowers are just decor, not resale items or supplies.

But man, don’t they add a spring time feeling to the space?  And they are a quick and easy change, I simply drape each one over the hanging hooks.  And presto-chango I have a dramatic new entry to my booth.

I’m very glad I snagged these sweet roses, seeing them hanging makes me smile.

Another thing that brought me a big ole grin? Beth gifted me this spectacular apron that she made!  Perfect for adding pizzazz along with practicality to my Juju work days.  I tried wearing jackets with pockets, but honestly, nothing beats a work apron for carrying my essentials. And this one is so soft and pretty, plus, it’s pockets are quite deep.

Thanks, Beth!

My buddy, Angie, also had a gift for me.   A big bag of broken and junk jewels from both her and her mom.  I used the beads salvaged from vintage necklaces to create bracelets.  

And look at this! A lucky four leaf clover, a gift from nature.  

How can you see this firework candle coming across the restaurant and not have a big smile on your face? Wow, I was impressed by the spectacle this added to my friend’s birthday celebration.

Last, but far from least, our peeps are busy growing and being adorable.  So far, so good, no deaths.  It isn’t easy raising chicks, but we haven’t lost a single one.  They are getting cute and learning to play chase, all of them crazily and frantically following the bird with a worm in its beak.  It’s my favorite game.

I hope your week is full of smiles too.  You have to find them wherever you can, those little things mean a lot.

2023 Book Club Christmas Party

One of our bookclub members, Margie Carr, wrote a well received book about early, influential leaders of Kansas City who lived in a one block area. 


 I fell in love with the cover’s photo of two of the girls from that street.

Margie gave me permission to surprise our members with hand crafted ornies using this picture.  The gifts were part of my centerpiece, and everyone got to choose their favorite one to keep.

With my trips to Indiana to be with my family while my sister is ill, I’d originally had to cancel the party,  but was able to reschedule.

 After a lot of last minute shuffling around, and voting on what dates the most of us were available, we managed to get a good chunk of us together on one night just a week before Christmas.

For a bit, it didn’t look like it would come together, that is such a hectic time of year.

Luckily, a date worked out, and I even had time to go to the grocery store for supplies and make pot pies to serve.

The Christmas tree pie didn’t turn out as good as the snow guy.  You could kinda tell what it was, but the crust sunk in a little as it baked.

I’d even made a grid behind it for support and it still sank a little.  You could still tell it was a tree, and actually, bubbly gravy over the crust is pretty dang tasty, so no problem.

This is a night I look forward to each year, and I was so happy that we all were able to get together.

Our club is filled with funny, informed people who make interesting dinner guests.  Plus, it’s a great excuse for me to set the table!

And they brought beautiful desserts.

I had such a nice evening, thanks for coming, to all who were able to make it.

 

 

 

Kick starting the season

My favorite season is here and I’m taking advantage of every fun offering available, to soak up as much holiday joy as I can.

One annual tradition is to view the Holiday Home Tour with friends.

This year had a banner crop of festive flair to walk through.  Every house I got to see was a winner.  But I didn’t get a complete tour, I’d over booked myself (I just can’t say no to any holiday event- if there is Christmas fun going on, I’m in the middle of it!)

Sunday was no exception to my seasonal excess, we started the day with a coffee date with friends, then the home tour, next A Christmas Story musical with Sugarwings, and finishing the night with a holiday movie with the kiddo.

Was it too much for one day? Welllll….. probably, but worth it.  

A couple days before, friends invited us to Snow Globe for dinner, and even though I was already swamped, we said yes.

Ounce again, worth stretching out my time to add some extra fun.  It was a great night out.

Plus, I’ve had First Friday weekend at Good Juju which was two long days of excitement that felt like a party itself.

We’re  barely into December and I’ve been blessed with so many glittery get togethers, that I’d  consider myself lucky and fulfilled if these were all the festivities that I got to experience.

But lucky me- I’ve got a craft date with friends this week, our Book Club dinner and gift exchange coming up, and I’m trying to find a good time to have some friends over.  Not to mention my cocoa parties in front of the tree with my grand fairy, and the way that sprite makes every day feel like it’s special.

Yep, beyond blessed.

And maybe a tiny bit tired.

A visit with Peeps

My friend, Maggie, was visiting from the west coast, so I hosted a craft day with local peeps in her honor.

Everyone brought their own crafts and a side for lunch, I made a meatloaf and bread.

Angie made this lovely trifle with fresh whipped cream, which tasted even better than it looked.

Over the years, I have discovered that sheets of white poster board work best on my craft tables to cover up all of the stains and wear.  

Previously, I’d either taped down craft paper, or used throw away table cloths.

To dress up the plain white, I make placemats of scrapbook paper with names.

And some quick little doodles.

Of course, once we get to making things, you don’t even see the table.  If you’re doing it right, that is! 

I was working on Xmas goodies.  My booth is all set up, ready for the November First Friday weekend, so now I’m making stuff to refill it for December.  
It was exhausting to redo the space immediately after the October sale, but there is no way I could comfortably leave on vacation without having it complete before taking off.

After getting my billions of buckets of holiday inventory tagged and arranged, I was finally able to relax and enjoy a sweet day with friends.  I was sure ready to sit back, snip and glue while chatting.  Just perfect!

And thank you, Angie for the white roses, all wrapped up so special.

Pony Creek Market

One of my friends hosted an antique market, and boy, did she do a good job!

She had invited me to participate and at first I said yes.  Then I realized that with Rich’s variable schedule with his consulting type thing he is doing, his truck might not be around when time came to haul stuff.  So I had to say no, after all.

It is lucky that I did, because yep, he is working in Nebraska part time.  And the show was an hour away, that’s a lot of trips hauling my junk in a RAV4.  


I’d have loved to have been a part of it with my buddy, Angie who had a space there. She said it was a good show to set up at.  I could tell, the parking lot had plenty of cars, there were happy people milling about with shopping bags, food trucks with lines, and vendors everywhere.  All in a beautiful, country setting.

Beth and I shared a ride to go visit and had a delightful day.

Celebrating a friend’s accomplishment

One of my book club buds, Dr. Margie Carr, has spent the last ten years researching a couple block stretch of a neighborhood in Kansas City that housed many successful and influential people over a 100 year period.  And now, the book is complete. A bunch of us from the group went to the KC library to hear her first (of many, I hope) talk about her story.

Local residents mentioned inside the covers attended, including this woman who is one of the girls featured on the outside of the cover.

I had not preordered my copy, but was able to pick one up that night.  Just in time for a signature from the author!

Not only was it impressive to hear a friend speak about the Kansas City  history she’d written about in her book, it was lovely to experience a part of the city I’d never been to.  Funny, I travel to other parts of the country to explore them, but rarely get out and look into what my own area has to offer.

This is a parking garage?!  Yep.

Where I live in Lawrence isn’t far from KC.  And heck, I’m in town all the time to shop, eat, see shows, or work at Good Juju.  What I need to is act like a tourist and see some of what I’ve missed.

There is a lot to be seen.